Case Summary

In October 1920, the Umatilla County Circuit Court convicted Elvie Kerby of first degree murder and sentenced him to be hanged from the neck until dead. The following year, his mother, Mrs. D. C. Kerby, petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus on his behalf, which was granted. The attorney for the Kerby family argued that the manner in which the state of Oregon had abolished and then reinstated its death penalty, a complex measure involving constitutional amendments and ballot initiatives, was itself unconstitutional. After hearing the evidence, the Marion County Circuit Court remanded Elvie Kerby back into the custody of the warden of the state penitentiary. The Kerbys appealed the decision to the state supreme court, which ultimately affirmed the lower court decision.

Case Information

Petition type(s)

• Carceral

Petition subtype(s)

• First degree murder

Outcome

Writ denied

Fate of bound party

Remained in custody

Case Citation

Marion County Circuit Court Dockets and Indexes, Index, Volume 5, 1892-1921, Accession No. 90A-16; Marion County Circuit Court Journal, Dept. No. 2, Vol. 39, Nov. 1920-Aug. 1922, Accession No. 93A-19, p. 365; Marion County Circuit Court Case Files, Case No. 15666, Reel 230-230a, Marion County Court House

Source material(s)

Index | Journal | Case File

Length of case file

Between 21 and 30 pages

Repository(s)

• Oregon State Archives (Salem, Oregon)
• Marion County Courthouse (Salem, Oregon)

State

• Oregon

Point(s) of law cited

Article 17 of the Oregon State Constitution|Article 57 of the Bill of Rights of the Oregon State Constitution|Article 1, Section 10, of the Oregon State Constitution|the Fifth Amendment|the Fourteenth Amendment|Sections 1602-1-2-3-4, Oregon Laws|State v. Bathie, Or., 198 Pac. 167, 200 Pac. 790|State v. Finch, 54 Or. 482, 498, 103 Pac. 505|State v. Anderson, 10 Or. 443|Article 4, Section 2, of the Oregon State Constitution|Article 17, Section 1 of the Oregon State Constitution|State v. Kellaher, 90 Or. 538, 177 Pac. 944|Hawley v. Anderson, 98 Or. 191, 190 Pac. 1097, 195 Pac. 558|Boyd v. Olcott, Or., 202 Pac. 431|Article 1, Section 33, of the Oregon State Constitution|State v. Langworthy, 56 Or. 303, 104 Pac. 474, 106 Pac. 336|Eason v. State, 11 Ark. 481|State v. Marastoni, 35 Or. 37, 155 Pac. 1177|State v. Wilbur, 35 Or. 566, 166 Pac. 51, 167 Pac. 559|State v. Cox, 3 English’s Reports (Ark.) 436

Tag(s)

• Appeal
• Death penalty
• 14th amendment

People

• Kerby, Elvie D. (James Owen) (bound party)
• Kerby, (Mrs. D. C. Kerby) (petitioner)
• Compton, Louis H. (respondent)
• Compton, Louis H. (responding party)
• Compton, Louis H. (holding party)
• Lane, John C. (petitioner attorney)
• Garland, Charles W. (petitioner attorney)
• Moore, Willis S. (respondent attorney)
• Van Winkle, Isaac Homer (respondent attorney)
• Phelps, Gilbert W. (authority ordering detention)

• Additional parties

  Boyer, U. G. (clerk)

  Wallace, R. C. (deputy clerk)

  Rathie, John L. (co-defendant of bound party)

  Hart, Neil (co-defendant of bound party)

  Stoop, Irvin Leroy (co-defendant of bound party)

  Henderson, Floyd (co-defendant of bound party)

  Taylor, W. R. (sheriff)

  Taylor, Tilman D. (alleged victim)

  Brown, R. F. (clerk)

  Ivie, M. R. (deputy clerk)

  Garland, George E. (surety)

  Garland, Ida S. (surety)

  Crittenden, C. M. (notary public)

  Carson, John H. (district attorney)

  Page, Lyle J. (unspecified)

  Benson, Arthur S. (clerk)

  McCourt, (judge)

  Brown, (judge)